Government aims at welfare to break the cycle of generational welfare dependency.

Aiming to revolutionise the way the Federal Government invests money in the welfare system the Government yesterday announced a new data driven approach to focus on improving the individual lives trapped in the generational welfare cycle.

During a speech at the National Press Club, Minister for Social Services, the Hon. Christian Porter MP said for the first time the government has evidence of exactly what was happening to people in the welfare system, down to very small groups of people

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“For the first time in history through the Australian Priority Investment Approach to Welfare, we have a clear, transparent and detailed profile of the welfare system,” Minister Porter said.

“This information allows us to identify and target those groups most at risk of long-term welfare dependency. Revolutionary change is required, but required in stages, which shifts the focus onto real people for woo the mere passive receipt of welfare is failing, sometimes spectacularly, to make their lives better.”

The analysis, constructed of collaring welfare information collected over 15 years, along with data from the ABS and other sources, shows the total estimated future cost of the Australian welfare system for our current population at $4.8 trillion.

“The outcomes highlighted from the report are of particular concern for the young people identified. Nobody wants to see a life spent in the welfare system from a very young age.”

The key to developing and creating better policy will be the $96 million Try, Test and Learn Fund. The fund enables organisations to compete for a chance to try a policy that proposes to create a path out of the welfare system.

The fund will be open by the end of the year for not-for-profit organisations, government, social policy experts and industry to pitch their ideas.

“Government will consult on how the Fund should operate to best encourage innovative proposals from a wide range of stakeholders,” he said.

“In the longer term, Government will be looking at innovative early intervention strategies, targeted supports and services for other groups across the Australian population, include for older age groups.

The underlying data from the Australian Priority Investment Approach will help to foster innovation throughout society. Social policy experts and service providers outside Government will also be provided access to the de-identified information developed for the Approach.

Mike Cullen has recently returned to Akolade after a period as the conference producer for one of Australia's leading economic think tanks. Mike began working in the conference industry in 2007 after looking for a career change from the high pressured world of inbound customer service. Mike has worked for some of the most well-known conference and media companies in the B2B space and in his spare time is working on his first novel in a planned Epic Fantasy trilogy.

Mike’s most recently published story, Seeds of Eden, is featured in the Sproutlings Anthology released in March 2016. Mike is also editing the Anthology – Community: Tales of the LGBTI scheduled for release in June 2017.